In this era, men were superior to women, and women were considered virtuous if they lacked talent; women had limited space to live.
Jiang Shuyue could only offer some simple reasoning to the woman.
Jiang Shuyue wrote a prescription for the woman, prepared the medicine, and instructed her on how to use it.
"Miss, I see you are recruiting female doctors here. I would like to send my eldest daughter here to learn to be a female doctor. My daughter Jing'er is twelve years old, clever and educated. What do you think?"
It was Jiang Shuyue's words, "It's better for a woman to be independent," that reminded her.
She was determined not to let her daughter live the same life she had when she grew up. Even though she knew her husband had brought home a prostitute, she couldn't get angry or make a scene.
Jiang Shuyue sized up the woman's attire. "Madam, your family is well-off. If you can persuade your family members when you get home, my clinic is always open to you as you bring your daughter over."
Female doctors were few and far between in the palace, and held a high status; in the common people, there were very few true female doctors.
Even in wealthy families, there are not many maids or servants in the backyard who have some medical knowledge.
Women from wealthy families rarely showed their faces in public, and Jiang Shuyue wrote the notice on a whim.
Like geese leaving their calls and winds leaving their traces, she did everything she could to help.
The woman took a deep breath, her eyes resolute. "Please, young lady, reserve a spot for my Jing'er. I will definitely send her over tomorrow."
Watching the woman disappear into the crowd as she stepped out, Qiuju glanced at the chair the woman had just sat on. "Miss, is her illness contagious?"
"It's possible. If her bodily secretions soaked through her skirt and remained where she sat, there's a risk of infection if someone sits down at that moment. Don't worry, I've prepared disinfectant."
As Jiang Shuyue spoke, she went into a room in the backyard and took out a small-necked porcelain bottle.
She removed the cork, poured some of it onto the chair, wiped it off with a cotton cloth, and then threw the cloth into the wooden bin used for collecting trash.
The movements were clean and efficient.
Jiang Shuyue washed her hands again and came out. Qiuju said, "Miss, you can leave this work to me from now on."
"Yesterday I was feeling sorry for all this cotton cloth, but it turns out it's very useful to you, Miss."
Soon, several more patients arrived.
Just as Qiuju saw the patient out the door, she saw a woman dressed in cotton cloth leading a little girl of about twelve or thirteen years old timidly standing at the door.
"Excuse me, young lady, are you really going to take on female medical apprentices?" the woman asked, bowing respectfully to Qiuju while pulling the young girl along.
"It's true, please come in, both of you."
Qiu Ju smiled broadly, and the little girl's tense expression relaxed considerably. She said to Qiu Ju in a clear voice, "Thank you, sister."
Jiang Shuyue stepped out from behind the screen.
The little girl had delicate features; beneath her arched eyebrows, a pair of large, bright, and expressive eyes that suggested she was a clever and bright girl.
"This is my young lady."
"May you be blessed, Miss."
The woman quickly pulled the little girl and bowed to Jiang Shuyue again.
Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, the little girl's timidity vanished instantly, replaced by a strange sense of familiarity.
She smiled brightly at Jiang Shuyue, "Master, you look like a fairy who stepped out of a painting."
One sentence made Qiu Ju and Jiang Shuyue burst into laughter.
"Little girl, what's your name? Fairies can save people. If you study medicine well, you will be a fairy in the future." Jiang Shuyue's voice was as warm as a spring breeze.
The woman was overjoyed. "Miss, you...you're willing to take Erniu in?"
"Thank you, Master. Erniu will definitely learn medicine from you diligently." Before the woman could even call out, the little girl was about to kneel down and kowtow.
Jiang Shuyue grabbed her arm. "Don't kneel. Doctors are very particular about hygiene. The ground is never clean. If you learn medicine from me, you will never have to kneel before the Emperor again."
"Yes, Erniu will listen to Master."
The woman was so excited she didn't know what to do. Jiang Shuyue asked her, "Does Erniu have any other names?"
The woman shook her head. "I am illiterate. My father died early. I am the second child in the family, so I am used to calling her Erniu."
Erniu raised her little face, "Master, my father's surname is Yin. Can you give Erniu a name?"
The moment she uttered her surname, Yin Qiao instinctively popped into Jiang Shuyue's mind.
"Then let's call it Yinqiao. Yinqiao clears heat and detoxifies, which is a good name."
"Thank you, Master. I like this name." The little girl looked at Jiang Shuyue with stars in her eyes, her admiration overflowing.
"Thank you for giving Erniu a name, Miss. It's a nice name and easy to remember."
Jiang Shuyue invited the mother and daughter to sit down. After a conversation, she learned that Yin Qiao's home was not far from here.
Yinqiao's mother made a living by taking on embroidery jobs. Because of her excellent embroidery skills, she earned a lot of money by taking on wedding dresses for wealthy families.
They could also afford to send Yinqiao's brother to school. Yinqiao was smart, and her brother taught her to read and write. She learned quickly and could read and write the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames.
Jiang Shuyue immediately said to Yin Qiao, "The monthly allowance will be set at two taels for now. Whoever learns well will have their monthly allowance increased year by year."
"If I can stand on my own in the future, I will also receive monthly dividends."
"Since you live nearby, the clinic will provide lunch. You can go home after the clinic closes and come to the clinic at 3:45 AM the next day."
The little girl nodded repeatedly with delight, not knowing what to say.
With the money, she could ease her mother's burden, and her mother would no longer have to stay up late doing embroidery.
I can go home every day and continue studying with my brother. Life is so good.
After Qiuju saw off Yinqiao's mother, Yinqiao stayed behind and started learning how to identify medicinal herbs.
The little girl is really smart; when she was identifying medicinal herbs, she would even pick them up and smell them.
It was almost noon, and there was a restaurant not far from the clinic.
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